This paper examines the Amsterdam Academy of Architecture (AvBA) and the renewal process of its educational program, as well as setting the century-long background to these changes in perspective. AvBA provides an education to a limited number of students by adhering to its trademark notion of educating architects as independent thinkers and tapping the pedagogical skills of a large number of professionals in architecture and related fields. The case of AvBA is worthy of attention as proof that a systematic program of revision, gradually implemented by and for architects on the part of an organization aware of the dynamics of social change, can succeed. The author′s aim is to dissect an acknowledged instance of excellence in keeping with today′s fully internationalized context of architectural education. In reviewing and assessing the experience of AvBA, he isolates seven points as the chief factors of its favorable outcome.

View full abstract

Currently museums in Korea are experiencing various kinds of trial and error, as there have not been systematic plans to build museums. Among them, unexpected flow of human traffic produces negative side effects such as ′viewing abandonment′ rather than behavior optimization through well-planned physical environments of museums because of high visitor density on weekends. However, the current status of not mentioning the causal relationship between the problematic phenomena and exhibiting methods is not identified.
Accordingly, this study tried to understand the correlation of viewing behaviors on weekdays or weekends with the exhibiting method from the perspective of visitor density. For the purpose of this study, the authors tried to identify the correlation of viewing behaviors on weekdays or weekends with the exhibiting method from the perspective of quantitative measurement elements. According to the analysis results, viewing behaviors in museums with wall display system were affected by spatial structure, while those with wall and island display system were heavily affected by visitor density.
Through this study, it may be possible to provide indexes for museums proposing optimized viewing behaviors for social education.

View full abstract

This study aims at investigating the impact on human behavior, of ubiquitous street furniture as represented by the media poles along Gangnam Boulevard. It attempted to predict the impact of media poles on human behavior by examining what constitutes the characteristics and functions of ″ubiquitous″ street furniture; by observing human street behavior; and by analyzing the installation process and functions of the media pole. In order to verify the predictions made, observational investigation and inquiry surveys were carried out targeting pedestrians on Gangnam Boulevard. According to the survey results, the demand for ubiquitous street furniture like these media poles was on the rise and among their many functions; their visual aspect had the most distinctive impact on human behavior. However, use of the media poles is on the decline, requiring their content to be upgraded, which will contribute to the development of a culture of communication.

View full abstract

The purpose of this study was to create a building-envelope structural modification system (BESMS) and an accompanying algorithm that could be used to improve a building′s energy efficiency. The proposed system is capable of deciding the optimal structure of a building-envelope. Methods adopted in the study include a review of previous studies and reference literature and, interviews with relevant industry experts. As part of creating the BESMS and algorithm, a five-stage building-envelope design process (BEDP) offering a basis for the BESMS was established. A model using BIM-based design software programs as platforms was proposed as well. The decision-making system for designing the proposed model was developed by combining the FLSs (AI technique) and AHP (decision-making method). Based on these outcomes, components of the BESMS were defined, an inference-deciding structure was determined for each decision-making item as required by the BESMS, related design factors were identified, and the degree of importance was calculated. Lastly, using these results, the model for the BESMS was created.

View full abstract

The purpose of this study is to introduce accident prevention remedies (APRs) and prioritize them according to accident-causing factors (ACFs), which were drawn from survey data analysis regarding the type and extent of dangers to which foreign workers in Korea are exposed at construction sites. First, 12 ACFs and 11 APRs were identified from a statistical analysis of questionnaires administered to 59 foreign industrial trainees working at construction sites in the Seoul-Kyunggi area. The APRs were then prioritized according to their relative importance as determined through the analytic hierarchy process and through a second survey administered to 96 safety and civil engineers who had experience in managing foreign workers at construction sites all over the country.

View full abstract

It has been over 30 years since apartments began to be built on a nation-wide scale, to become the most common housing type in Korea. Now that some time has passed, the earlier apartments are deteriorating in physical quality and have become outdated in regards to the lifestyles of contemporary residents. Up to the most recent years, such aged apartments would be demolished and rebuilt with increased density. However, for sustainability reasons, many argue that ″remodeling,″ where the main structure of the apartments are retained and only internal configurations are modified, should be preferred over the current ″demolish-and-rebuild″ patterns. In order to adopt remodeling, it is critical that architectural strategies to overcome the physical constraints presented from retaining the existing structure are developed. In this study, the author was able to witness a pair of unit layout plans where one followed the traditional planning conventions and the other was more experimental in overcoming the constraints. Through various means such as POE, Space Syntax, and ″Perceptive Spaciousness Model,″ a model the author developed based on Michael Benedikt′s Isovist model, the experimental alternative proved to be preferable for remodeling.

View full abstract

This study measures and estimates the potential environmental and economic impacts of introducing transit-oriented corridors in Korea. By developing a TOC planning model concept through regression analysis, authors examine the relationship between TOC planning factors and transport modal share, and the impact of transit accessibility on transport modal choice. Several conclusions were drawn from the results; first, in order to promote mass transit, the area′s residential and commercial features must be intensified through a combination of mixed-use and a low ratio of road. Second, the transit modal choice analysis revealed that accessibility to mass transit is an important variable in determining its usage, along with the number of blocks per unit area and the pedestrian environment of the vicinity. Third, the results suggest that strengthening city-wide reliance on mass transit is effective in reducing environmental hazards to a significant degree: with a ridership ratio increase expected in the range of 3.5 to 5.9%, the resulting decreased road traffic would reduce CO₂ emissions by 391 to 686 thousand tons. Finally, in terms of boosting the regional economy, higher pedestrian volumes of commuters would increase annual income for neighborhood retailers in the range of 7.4 to 13.6 million dollars.

View full abstract

As quality of life has become a center of attention internationally, studies on comfortable indoor environments have been actively conducted. Particularly, the number of patients suffering from indoor air quality related diseases such as atopic dermatitis and new house syndrome have increased and the average time spent indoors these days is more than half a day, so counter solutions have been attempted in the field of architecture, such as using eco-friendly and ecological materials. With this background, this research aimed to verify the effect of rice hull insulation on the indoor environment, which is widely used in rural areas. To do this, two real-scale mock-ups with rice hull insulation and polystyrene insulated panels, which is the construction generally used in rural areas, were constructed and analyzed, and the effect of rice hull insulation on an indoor environment was verified.

View full abstract

This study examines the typology of the five factors affecting the space planning of long-term care (LTC) facilities in Taiwan to understand how they affect facility managers′ perceived difficulty in engaging in space planning. Data were collected through questionnaires and nonlinear canonical correlation analysis (OVERALS) was used for data analysis. The results reveal that managers of leased LTC facilities experience greater difficulty in space planning than managers of facilities designed specifically for LTC use. The results also suggest that specifications and guidelines regarding space design and planning should be provided for various types of LTC facilities.

View full abstract

Today, media facades play a significant role in our urban environments as media technologies continue to advance, aided by general systems theory and cybernetics. These media facades have taken new directions, toward holistic forms of kinetic, media, and interactive architecture, well beyond responsive architecture. Considering the move toward increased integration, a new pedagogical design tool for helping architectural designers and students understand kinesis and interaction more fully is now needed. For this, a design system that supports an associated, integrated virtual-physical prototyping environment based on multi-agent-models and Delta robot kinematics is proposed, implemented, and tested here. This research begins by exploring the latest cases of media facades, focusing on physical motions and the flow of information. Through analysis and classification, this research presents a theoretical model which consists of a tectonic model and an interactive model. Moreover, to prove the viability of these proposed models, an integrated virtual-physical prototyping environment is offered. The ultimate objective of this study is to assist, enhance, and expand the scope of media facades by proposing new ways of constructing, controlling, and simulating media facades by means of a new pedagogical design tool. Thus, this research contributes to pedagogy by allowing students and designers to fully explore and better understand interaction and kinesis in media facade design.

View full abstract

This research aims to develop a mixed-use facility model for the wellbeing of the elderly, responding to the changes caused by the recent trends of low birthrate, growth of the aging population, and baby boomers entering their senior years. It is expected that mixed-use facilities for the elderly in the current context should be integrated, including other generations and providing extensive beneficial services to all social classes for universal welfare. Using a customized questionnaire, we examined baby boomers' demands on welfare services associated with spaces, and characterized their lifestyles. Based on their lifestyles, a mixed-use facility model for the welfare of the elderly is proposed, suggesting a spatial configuration framework as an integrated system of various functions, generations and managements. This research can be used as a basis for constructing a customized welfare service environment for the elderly. By applying the proposed method, various spatial configurations can be developed for mixed-use facilities for the welfare of the elderly.

View full abstract

Multipurpose buildings that have an underground mega mall require distinguished functional considerations compared to small conventional underground spaces. Thus, this study starts with an assumption that architects′ knowledge and personal decisions may not be reliable and valid in a massive multipurpose underground mall, because it is beyond general sense in terms of size and function. Especially, when considering safety issues, an architect′s personal subjective decisions should be evaluated with scientific and objective criteria. Therefore, the intention of this study is to present an emergency exit and staircase planning method based on a mathematical model of optimized algorithm. The fundamental notions of the mathematical model and optimized algorithm that this study has developed for architectural planning, practically adapted the theoretical and mechanical principal that has been used in the field of industrial engineering for many decades. Consequently, the developed algorithm was able to prove that it could indicate the most efficient exit/staircase location for a certain space and assign it based on quantitative analysis.

View full abstract

The roof of the traditional Korean house, Han-ok, has a curvilinear shape and its design derives from accumulated design principles. Three-dimensional (3-D) object-oriented parametric modeling technology enables the modeling of irregular and atypical geometries by embedding numerically analyzed information. In this study, the authors devised a methodology of parametric modeling for the roof components of a traditional Korean house, such as Chu-nyeo, Gal-mo-san-bang, and Seon-ja-yeon, which have the most complex shapes and 3-D curves. While respecting the conventional drawing method used by craftsmen, the authors re-defined primary factors and systematized the parametric logic considering not only modeling efficiency and accuracy but also user interface and convenience.

View full abstract

Many cultural heritage sites exist in the historic city of Kyoto. Wooden buildings account for a majority of these sites, and they exist in a large proportion in the surrounding urban areas. Therefore, protecting Kyoto′s cultural properties from fire hazards is a pressing issue in urban planning. Based on this type of problem awareness, this study aims to produce basic documentation related to future disaster-prevention measures for cultural properties.
First, we conducted a field survey of the buildings surrounding cultural properties and compiled critical distance of fire spreading dilated volume fraction (DVF) buffer data for each structure. We calculated the critical distance of fire spreading taking into account the weather conditions of wind speed and direction, and illustrated the DVF buffer using image processing techniques and created a fire spreading graph. We then analyzed the risk of fire spreading to cultural properties from both the macro and micro perspectives according to the number of configuration nodes for the DVF buffer and graph.
We found that the majority of cultural properties at high risk of fire spreading are folk dwellings and Japanese traditional town houses and that many are distributed in areas of high-density wood construction.

View full abstract

The objective of this research is to investigate the periodic changes in external spatial configuration of Korean apartment complexes and their planning concepts with quantitative spatial analysis methodology, for the purpose of comparatively analyzing the results with the relevant social, economic climate of its period. Based on the axial map analysis method, we established a spatial configuration analysis model of apartment complexes by setting the relevant analysis indices and criteria for periodic, spatial classification. One-way ANOVA was applied to the periodical indices of integration and PD for each spatial component, and then the periodical mean values of the indices for each spatial component were calculated to make comparisons across the periods. The results revealed that differing planning initiatives according to each period were not only reflected in the spatial configuration of the apartments in their entirety, but that it was also possible to extract key elements in planning which made up the apartments in that particular period.

View full abstract

The purpose of this study is to offer new insight into architectural and urban planning in the post-sedentary age. Specifically, we reveal the characteristics of walking in cities with mobile networks. The experiment involved strolling around the old town of Tokyo with 20 participants divided into two groups: (1) Those who could use smartphones and (2) those who could only use printed maps. The participants′ behaviors were recorded by GPS data loggers and analyzed by GIS in terms of the following three aspects.
First, we estimated the features of walking according to the lengths of time participants collected information and the contents of that information and reached the conclusion that walking within mobile networks was deliberate. Second, we analyzed the efficiency of walking using the redundancy index and concluded that different kinds of behaviors can be confirmed depending on the time available to complete tasks. Third, we explored walking with curiosity in terms of the various types of roads where participants walked and inferred that walking in a mobile network environment reduced anxiety regarding losing one′s way and aroused much curiosity.

View full abstract

Although Taipei and New Taipei together constitute the largest metropolitan area of Taiwan, studies have indicated that they are classified into 2 different categories of livability regarding urban development. Taipei is the most developed and livable city in Taiwan; although the adjacent New Taipei suburb is not as urbanized or livable, it is steadily improving. Frequently viewed as an extension of Taipei, New Taipei is actually distinct in various aspects and has its own developmental trajectory. These 2 municipalities provide differing livability conditions; thus, with integration, the overlapping and complementary nature of the services provided by Taipei and New Taipei can enable the expansion of the metropolitan service area to a greater urban scale, resulting in an aggregation effect. Without integration, the varying livability conditions will still allow the 2 municipalities to become highly complementary and mutually dependent cities. However, both municipalities face challenges, such as significantly low population growth, and negative consequences associated with a high degree of urbanization, including low birth rates, insufficient public areas, lagged urban planning, and the lack of a coherent vision. These issues must be addressed in the future development of the capital region of Taiwan to efficiently improve livability and community welfare.

View full abstract

Safety and security are essential to successful, sustainable communities. To build and maintain such communities, research on their safety must be carried out and appropriate policies enacted. In developed countries, the proportion of elderly people is increasing; furthermore, elderly people are easy targets for street crime. Therefore, they might feel insecure, even on safe roads. In this study, in order to understand the road features that people encounter daily that make them feel secure or insecure, authors used omnidirectional images. Authors assessed the percentages of space that different road features (buildings, open spaces, and other road characteristics) occupy in each image and clarified the relationship between these features and elderly people′s feelings of security or insecurity in relation to snatch occurrences. The results were as follows: (1) areas with the highest rate of snatch occurrences and feelings of security had the highest percentage of high-rise buildings (4.6%), all types of buildings (24.2%), sidewalks (19.2%), and setbacks (3.5%), and the lowest percentages of detached houses (0.9%), roads (4.5%), and sky (33%); and (2) areas with low rates of snatch occurrences and unreasonable feelings of insecurity had no high-rise buildings, high percentages of detached houses (9%), roads (19%), and sky (44%), and low percentages of sidewalks (1.5%) and setbacks (0.9%).

View full abstract

A T-stub connection with high-strength bolts under tensile force is affected by prying action force and the contact force, among others, between members. If a design equation that does not consider such prying action force and contact force between members is not proposed, the T-stub under tensile force is liable to be fractured under a strength lower than the estimated design strength. To prevent this, many studies have proposed contact force estimation equations between members as well as the prying action force of the T-stub connection with high-strength bolts. However, no design equations based on such research have been proposed in South Korea. Therefore, this study aims to propose an estimation model for more accurate prying action force and contact force, and to improve on previously proposed estimation models by implementing three-dimensional, nonlinear finite element analysis.

View full abstract

Global warming has recently become a topical issue throughout the world, and the cement industry is widely seen as one of the prominent factors responsible for it. Therefore, the development of new binders with enhanced environment and durability performance is needed. In this regard, geopolymer technology is a breakthrough development as an alternative to Portland cement. In this study, such properties of geopolymer concrete as curing temperature, curing time, rest period before curing, and acid resistance are emphasized. Geopolymerization needs energy and time to occur, and higher curing temperatures result in larger compressive strength, while longer curing times result in higher compressive strength. For geopolymer concrete, the time for hardening can be extended up to 5 days. Geopolymer concrete shows good acid resistance. As products of geopolymerization have no sulfate, acid or salt attack mechanism, geopolymer concrete can be a good substitute for traditional building materials, and finding renewable materials to satisfy the increasing demand for building structures will eventually be a major issue.

View full abstract

This study evaluates the size effect of shear strength in reinforced concrete (RC) beams with various replacement ratios of recycled coarse aggregate. A total of 15 simply supported specimens with recycled aggregates were cast and tested in shear. The test variables were designed to be the width and effective depth of the beam and the replacement ratio of recycled coarse aggregate. The width of the specimens was varied from 200 mm to 400 mm, and the effective depth was changed from 300 mm to 600 mm. To estimate the size effect of shear strength in recycled aggregate concrete beams, the specimens had no shear reinforcement. The experimental results showed that the shear strength of the specimens made of recycled aggregate decreased with a higher effective depth irrespective of the replacement ratio, whereas the beam width exhibited no size effect. Furthermore, the strength reduction and crack patterns of the specimens with recycled aggregates were similar to those of the specimens with natural aggregates.

View full abstract